Apesar dos avanços, os cardápios de escolas atendidas pelo Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar ainda podem ser mais saudáveis

Introduction: Given the importance of promoting the human right to adequate food and nutrition, it is essential to know the quality of the menus of the Brazilian School Feeding Program — PNAE. Objective: To carry out a qualitative evaluation of the menus planned for the PNAE. Methods: Cross-sectional study with 2,785 daily menus from 557 municipalities in the country, offered between 2022 and 2024, in elementary schools. The Revised Quality Index for School Feeding Menus was adopted for the evaluation. Results: It was observed that most of the menus presented intermediate quality (70.74%) and the other categories presented similar frequencies. The groups of cereals and tubers; vegetables; and fruits were the most frequent, followed by legumes; red meat; and eggs, chicken and fish. Ultra-processed foods and regional foods appeared in a quarter of the menus evaluated; dairy products; sweets; processed foods; time compatibility; sociobiodiversity foods and sweet regional preparations were less frequent. Conclusion: This study provides an overview of the post-pandemic situation of Brazilian school meals; despite the challenges faced, the menus presented a high frequency of natural and minimally processed foods; however, it was also possible to observe the presence of foods that are not allowed in school meals.